How cool is it that we are stranded in Otavalo because there is a strike and people have shut down the roads. The only really not so great part is that they have also shut down the water supply. The strike is going on because the state has not delivered on its promise for an irrigation system. It´s great how democracy works here: people actually try to change things for themselves.
Well, I just spent a lovely weekend in Intag at the cloud forest there. It was quite fantastic. We hiked, swam, listened to lectures, played games, ate amazing food, and overall had a great time. I will update more later when I get to a faster computer. Until then, we will probably spend the night here, which should be fun. We also get to skip classes tomorrow because we won´t be getting home until tomorrow morning. Chao.
It's not just a trip anymore. I am hoping to revamp this blog to include a lot of different things mainly centered around my life as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala, but also including other random things I find myself reflecting upon. The contents of this blog reflect my opinions and not those of the U.S. government or the Peace Corps program. Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Monday night out
Elections are coming up: People campaigning in the Plaza Grande
Looking up at the Basilica
Cool view of part of the ceiling in the Palacio de los Arzobispos
Known as "Calle de las Siete Cruces" because of the seven churches with seven distinct crosses on this street
One of the many cathedrals
View from Plaza de San Francisco
Another view from the Plaza
The actual Catedral de San Francisco
All of the birds hanging out on the church
Then, last night was pretty interesting. First of all, in school yesterday, everyone was talking about how they went to the bull fights in Sangolqui this past weekend. This happens once a year during this festival, which is going on right now. I didn't go, though my mom tried to go but the police stopped us becuase it was too crowded, so we went into Quito instead. My sister told me she was going last night and, since I didn't have that much homework, I decided to go with her. Her boyfriend was driving us around and he had two friends with him. So we all piled in his car and drove around Sangolqui for an hour and a half. There were just so many people there. It was only five, but it gets darker here earlier, so by the time we left, it was getting dark. Then, we drove to this parking lot and just kind of hung out there for a few hours. I guess people my age here just like to socialize where they can. It was kind of fun. One of the friends tried to teach me salsa, but I'm not that great at dancing. I also met a racecar driver of some sort who was really funny. I was home by nine, so I just finished my homework and went to bed early because I was really tired. The whole language barrier was definately present the whole time. I couldn't really understand most of what was being said. And, some people were trying to talk in English with me, but it was so broken that I had some trouble understanding them. But overall, it was a fun night.
Well, I'm having some trouble with the computer so I'll try to completely update later. Chao.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Tiempo libre
I finally have some free time and the internet is working well (although it won't let me upload any pictures). So, now I can sit and think about everything that has happened in the past two weeks.
I have finished a week of classes, which consists of five hours of spanish a day. About two hours or so is grammar, half an hour for break, and then another hour and a half or so of tallers, about culture and history. Classes have been okay. I tested into upper intermediate, mainly because my conversation level isn't very high. I did great on the grammar though. This means that classes are going kind of slowly. We aren't really doing that much conversation so I already feel like I know everything we're going over grammar-wise. The culture classes have also been kind of slow. We kind of just do busy work, like reading a sheet on a person and then summarizing it for the rest of the class. I talked to the director about it, which was kind of frustrating because she told me that if I moved up, there would be seven people in the class which would be too much. The frustrating part was that she had just let someone else move up a level the day before. The good thing is that the class (minus the teachers) talked about how things were going and we all feel that the pace is kind of slow and that we need more conversation. We wrote this on our evaluations so things might change next week.
Class was kind of fun on Friday. We had an hour of games that people play in Ecuador. My group did a race with an egg on a spoon in your mouth. Another group did this thing with London Bridge mixed with tug-of-war. Yet another group had a four and three leg race. Another game was dancing with a tomato in between forheads. It was pretty fun and more bonding for the group.
Taking the bus to and from school has been pretty easy. I walk about fifteen minutes to reach my bus stop at the Triangulo in San Rafael, which is a nice walk every day. Then only $.20 will get me home. It's always pretty cloudly on my walk home, but a few days ago I got a really clear view of Cotopaxi, which is spectacular. The way I saw it, it was a giant snow peak coming up from the clouds. Usually clouds cover the entire mountain, but it's still cool to know that there is a volcano there, right under the clouds somewhat close to where I'm living. I just hope it doesn't blow because apparently, it would cover the whole valley.
I've also found out that t.v. programs kind of start on "Ecuador Time," which means that they don't quite start when they're scheduled, but normally a little after. Ecuador time means that when you're invited to a party, you show up about half an hour to an hour after the time you're told. I have yet to experience this as classes don't go by Ecaudor time; they start at 8:00 sharp, and I usually get there at 7:30 because my host mother drops me off on the way to work.
We did have a dinner party here for friend of my host family who are moving to the U.S. to be near their two children who had already moved there. They were really friendly. The dad knew English, and although I thought it was pretty good and could understand him, he kept insisting that I call his english "real hamburger" which I really don't understand, but I think it's supposed to mean that it was really bad. We ate some strange but pretty good food: a "pear" that was actually pear skin around potato and ham, a piece of what I thought was bread but was actually meat with vegetables and hard-boiled egg inside of it, chicken and bacon on toothpicks, and a flan that didn't really have any sugar in it.
I bought a cell phone. It tooks two failed attempts (they only sell phones a few hours a day) and today, the phone almost didn't work, but the woman assured me (I think) in spanish that it would work. It cost about $55 and I have to pay more for minutes, but it was one of the cheapest ones. We'll see if it works.
I'm so glad I'm not a vegetarian any more, not because I like meat (I still don't really like it) but because here, "vegetarian" just means that one doesn't eat beef and/or pork. I was served "vegetarian" vegetable soup on Friday that was definately chicken broth with big hunks of chicken in it. I'm also learning that it's just so hard to communicate in spanish at times. It takes so much concentration to hear what people are saying, especially if they are not talking loudly. This becomes more challenging as I'm trying to watch t.v. and keep up a conversation at the sametime. Things get pretty interesting. Well, it's getting late and I think I have an early morning tomorrow: off to visit the historic center with my host mom. It should be good. Until next time, Chao!
I have finished a week of classes, which consists of five hours of spanish a day. About two hours or so is grammar, half an hour for break, and then another hour and a half or so of tallers, about culture and history. Classes have been okay. I tested into upper intermediate, mainly because my conversation level isn't very high. I did great on the grammar though. This means that classes are going kind of slowly. We aren't really doing that much conversation so I already feel like I know everything we're going over grammar-wise. The culture classes have also been kind of slow. We kind of just do busy work, like reading a sheet on a person and then summarizing it for the rest of the class. I talked to the director about it, which was kind of frustrating because she told me that if I moved up, there would be seven people in the class which would be too much. The frustrating part was that she had just let someone else move up a level the day before. The good thing is that the class (minus the teachers) talked about how things were going and we all feel that the pace is kind of slow and that we need more conversation. We wrote this on our evaluations so things might change next week.
Class was kind of fun on Friday. We had an hour of games that people play in Ecuador. My group did a race with an egg on a spoon in your mouth. Another group did this thing with London Bridge mixed with tug-of-war. Yet another group had a four and three leg race. Another game was dancing with a tomato in between forheads. It was pretty fun and more bonding for the group.
Taking the bus to and from school has been pretty easy. I walk about fifteen minutes to reach my bus stop at the Triangulo in San Rafael, which is a nice walk every day. Then only $.20 will get me home. It's always pretty cloudly on my walk home, but a few days ago I got a really clear view of Cotopaxi, which is spectacular. The way I saw it, it was a giant snow peak coming up from the clouds. Usually clouds cover the entire mountain, but it's still cool to know that there is a volcano there, right under the clouds somewhat close to where I'm living. I just hope it doesn't blow because apparently, it would cover the whole valley.
I've also found out that t.v. programs kind of start on "Ecuador Time," which means that they don't quite start when they're scheduled, but normally a little after. Ecuador time means that when you're invited to a party, you show up about half an hour to an hour after the time you're told. I have yet to experience this as classes don't go by Ecaudor time; they start at 8:00 sharp, and I usually get there at 7:30 because my host mother drops me off on the way to work.
We did have a dinner party here for friend of my host family who are moving to the U.S. to be near their two children who had already moved there. They were really friendly. The dad knew English, and although I thought it was pretty good and could understand him, he kept insisting that I call his english "real hamburger" which I really don't understand, but I think it's supposed to mean that it was really bad. We ate some strange but pretty good food: a "pear" that was actually pear skin around potato and ham, a piece of what I thought was bread but was actually meat with vegetables and hard-boiled egg inside of it, chicken and bacon on toothpicks, and a flan that didn't really have any sugar in it.
I bought a cell phone. It tooks two failed attempts (they only sell phones a few hours a day) and today, the phone almost didn't work, but the woman assured me (I think) in spanish that it would work. It cost about $55 and I have to pay more for minutes, but it was one of the cheapest ones. We'll see if it works.
I'm so glad I'm not a vegetarian any more, not because I like meat (I still don't really like it) but because here, "vegetarian" just means that one doesn't eat beef and/or pork. I was served "vegetarian" vegetable soup on Friday that was definately chicken broth with big hunks of chicken in it. I'm also learning that it's just so hard to communicate in spanish at times. It takes so much concentration to hear what people are saying, especially if they are not talking loudly. This becomes more challenging as I'm trying to watch t.v. and keep up a conversation at the sametime. Things get pretty interesting. Well, it's getting late and I think I have an early morning tomorrow: off to visit the historic center with my host mom. It should be good. Until next time, Chao!
Friday, September 7, 2007
Jugo de pina and other things I love
I had the most amazing pineapple juice for lunch today. I can´t believe how good all of the juices are. And just the fresh fruit. And the rice. All of the food so far has been fantastic. I worry that every meal is going to make me sick, but amazingly, my stomach has been good to me. Hopefully this will continue.
I also have been watching loads of telenovelas. My host mother watches ¨Cobras y lagartos, a novela from Brazil, that seems pretty good. I have also seen a bit of Madre Luna and Dame chocolate. There are also some that I was watching at home from Mexico that I can continue to watch here. I know they´re really cheesy, but I love them. It´s a good way to learn conversational spanish too.
I still love the mountains and the site of Cotopaxi outside of my house everyday. It´s usually really cloudy, but yesterday and this morning I had a great view of it. I just hope it doesn´t erupt while I´m here. That wouldn´t be too fun.
I need to write more when I can organize my thoughts. Every time the computer works well, I try to do a million things at once. I´m pretty tired because I´m not used to getting up early to go to class yet. Hopefully some sleep this weekend will help. I don´t know what I´m up to, but I think I´ll be going into Quito and maybe to a market in town. As long as I get some sleep, I´ll be just fine. I´ll try to update more tomorrow with some pictures, if the computer decides to work again. Chao (which is the spanish way to spell it; I´ve always spelled it Ciao which is the italian way)
I also have been watching loads of telenovelas. My host mother watches ¨Cobras y lagartos, a novela from Brazil, that seems pretty good. I have also seen a bit of Madre Luna and Dame chocolate. There are also some that I was watching at home from Mexico that I can continue to watch here. I know they´re really cheesy, but I love them. It´s a good way to learn conversational spanish too.
I still love the mountains and the site of Cotopaxi outside of my house everyday. It´s usually really cloudy, but yesterday and this morning I had a great view of it. I just hope it doesn´t erupt while I´m here. That wouldn´t be too fun.
I need to write more when I can organize my thoughts. Every time the computer works well, I try to do a million things at once. I´m pretty tired because I´m not used to getting up early to go to class yet. Hopefully some sleep this weekend will help. I don´t know what I´m up to, but I think I´ll be going into Quito and maybe to a market in town. As long as I get some sleep, I´ll be just fine. I´ll try to update more tomorrow with some pictures, if the computer decides to work again. Chao (which is the spanish way to spell it; I´ve always spelled it Ciao which is the italian way)
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
En Valle de los Chillos
Los Andes
On the equator
Group on the equator
View of San Antonio de Pichincha (city in the middle of the world)
Independence Heroes Monument in the Plaza Grande in Quito's Old Town
Presidential Palace-Rafael Correa does business here
Ecuadorian Flag on top of the presidential palace
View from the plaza inside of the cathedral on the Plaza Grande
El Panecillo y la Virgen
Avocado tree in my backyard
View of Cotopaxi from my urbanizacion
Well, it's been a little over a week, but it still feels like I've been here for a while. I've gotten used to the ways of life, to an extent, and all is well. Here's a recap:
I adjusted pretty well to the altitude. After spending one night in Quito though, during which I slept very well and quite a lot, the group went to a hostel, Rancho Alegre, in San Antonio de Pichincha, which is known for being the city in the middle of the world. For tourists' sake, it's supposed to be on the equator, although it's off by about 8 seconds. But, I know I've crossed the real equator quite a few times because driving around the countryside takes you to more towns that are "on the equator" but really aren't, but the roads cross the equator quite a few times. The town we were in was pretty small and didn't really have much going for it, but people were nice. I was part of a smaller group that had to walk into a ferreteria (hardware store) and just talk to whoever was there about their business and so forth. The guy we were talking to was pretty friendly. We learned more about the city and what was going on. Apparently, the earthquake in Peru really frightened people into buying more tools and stuff to prepare for an earthquake here.
Orientation took about four days. The group seems to be getting along really well. The academic directors are also pretty nice. We talked about health (with great pictures of worms that people have grown in their digestive track-I can't wait to see mine!), safety, classes, and all of that kind of stuff. We had a very intensive introduction to salsa class that just reinforced my belief that I cannot dance. It was fun though and I hope to learn more, as well as Cambuche (sp?) and others. I learned how to play billiards correctly and also how to play mafia, which is fun with lots of people. We also watched an Ecuadorian movie, La Titan del Ring, which was pretty much the same as Nacho Libre, only in Spanish and slightly more depressing. I also walked right up to one of the mountains, just because I wanted to reach the Andes. The foothills probably start in the towns, but it was cool to just wander to the outskirts of San Antonio and start climbing a mountain. Also, one morning, I woke up at 4:00 to see the lunar eclipse and Mars, which was the closest it would have been to Earth for another 250 years, but I just missed it, by minutes, and could only see clouds.
I went to La Mitad del Mundo (the equator) with a pretty large group of people. It was pretty nice. The museum was definitely worth the $3.00 we paid. We even got a tour which really taught us a lot about the indigenous cultures here. However, it isn't the real equator, but just a wrong guess some Frenchman (I think) made many years before GPS came along to point to the real equator. Our last night at Rancho Alegre, we heard some Andean folk music, which was pretty neat. I bought a c.d. so if anyone wants to hear some, let me know. The next day, I went to a town, Calacali, for a project. Three others and I had to take a bus on our own to the town, walk around and talk to people there, and then find our way back to our hotel in Quito, all on our own. It was actually a pretty good time. We wandered around the fairly small town for several hours. It's known for being the home of the original monument of La Mitad del Mundo, but it also isn't on the equator but is very close. We talked to a guy for an hour and a half about his life, the town, and animals. He was really nice. His wife actually found us wandering around in the outskirts of town and invited us into their home. She left us with her husband who apparently just wanted to talk to us about how he used to be a guide in the jungle, be a farmer in the fields, own a hostel, and now own a salon. He also taught us all these words for different animals that I really don't remember. He had a daughter living with him and she had three kids and they were all really cute. They were fascinated by us and hung around, though when we tried talking to one girl, she kept saying "No entiendo" because our spanish must have been different than what she was used to. I can't help but notice the sensation that I cause pretty much wherever I go. I think it's going to take a while to get used to. Overall it was an interesting visit. Among other attributes, the town also has roosters tied up to trees in one of its public squares and people were cutting up a very recently alive pig right on the sidewalk where we were headed; we took a detour.
Back in Quito, I walked around the Mariscal (touristy part) where I ate a croissant with Nutella. Then I ventured into the colonial section with a group. Taking the bus is really easy and it only costs about a quarter to go to wherever you want, one way. The buses are kind of sketchy though-some are really dirty while others have televisions; none really follow driving rules. Old Town was swarming with people. We made it to a plaza and saw a monument and the presidential palace. We took a tour of a cathedral off the Plaza Grande which was nice, and also included a guided tour, and only cost $1.00. It was quite an extensive tour: we saw a tomb of an important figure (whose name I forgot, oops), some catacombs from above, a library, altars, clothing, lots of paintings, and much more. The tour took so long that we soon had to go back to the hotel for a group meeting. I want to explore some more when I'm back in Quito. A few observations from just walking around Quito (as well as San Antonio) is that there are stray dogs everywhere. Most of them are pretty mangy and likely have fleas, but I want to save them all. That won't happen, but I see them literally everywhere, even in my gated community. Also, lots of litter and closed stores. I guess the economy here isn't quite as good as it used to be-perhaps because of dollarization.
Right now, I am in los Chillos, a valley surrounded by the Andes. It's really nice and quiet where I am, but the place where the language school is is kind of noisy and polluted. I'm living in Sangolqui, the main city in Valle de los Chillos. It has a huge mall and a Mega-Maxi (superstore like Wal-Mart). I've travelled around here a lot and I have gone into Quito a few times with my host family, which is really a great family. I am living with a mom and a sister, and there's a dad who stops by all the time though the parents are "divorced" (don't really know what that means). I have been hanging out with my host sister and her boyfriend a lot. We played soccer, during which I scored three goals on Xavier who previously believed that women could not play soccer (I don't know where these skills are coming from) and we met these three kids who live in a huge house but are really poor. Their parents only work in the house and the kids kind of just hang out in the neighborhood during the day. They had two puppies, which they were treating pretty badly. I don't really know yet what to make of the situation. The next day was my host sister's 21st birthday, which was kind of awkward becuase I met more people: her dad, grandma, and cousin. But we didn't do much because she just had her wisdom teeth out and is allergic to most pain relievers so she was in a lot of pain. On Monday night, we drove into Quito to watch Disturbia, which was interesting. The boyfriend, Xavier, drives very, very fast and slightly carelessly, which was a little scary but kind of exciting. At least I was wearing my seatbelt, which a lot of people around here don't do. I also went with my family to visit extended family members (grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws) on Sunday and eat a big meal with them. It was pretty nice. We also watch a lot of the t.v., mostly from the smaller t.v. in the master bedroom while the whole family sits on the bed. It's fun watching t.v. in spanish because it's a challenge to figure out what's going on. I especially love telenovelas and look forwardto watching lots. There are a lot of American shows and movies on, though they are dubbed or have subtitles in Spanish. I watched Mary Poppins, Bruce Almighty, and a show about conspiracies about 9-11. Sometimes I'll hear music in english and feel right at home. We have also gone to San Luis, this huge mall. It has some stores that I recognize but lots that I don't. Everything is pretty much the same though. Clothing is pretty expensive, especially since many people in this nation live in poverty.
The house I'm living in is quite nice; it might even be bigger than my house at home. There is a bottom floor with a maid's quarters (yes, there is a maid, but she doesn't live here) and an entertainment room with a HUGE t.v., a bar, a game table, and a bathroom. Going up the stairs from there is the kitchen and dining room. There is also a room with a jacuzzi and another shower, but it only opens up from the backyard. I don't really understand this, but it's pretty nice. Up some more stairs is the study, a sitting room, another sitting room, and another bathroom. Then the next floor has my room and my sister's room as well as a full bathroom and a balcony. Then more stairs lead to the master bedroom with a large closet and full bathroom and another balcony. The tv in the master bedroom is as big as my tv at home. Then up more stairs to another balcony. All this in a very protected house with wired fence on top of an already large fence, as well as two garage doors and front fence that is locked at all times. There are fences around everyone's homes here and people really take their security really seriously, even though we are already in a gated community with guards and another fence. Some people even just put broken glass and rusty nails on top of their fences to keep intruders at bay. There is also a garden in the backyard, as well as lots of bird cages. My host mother likes to garden and she has aguacate (avacado) trees, lemon trees, and mandarin orange trees, as well as another fruit tree that I can't remember. Also, there are some really pretty tropical flowers. She told me it rains a lot here, but so far no rain. There are also some vegetables growing, like lettuce, carrots, and radishes (I think). The birds she has a tropical birds like parrots, cockatos, and others. They make quite a racket in the morning. My room faces the backyard as well as the forest and the soccer field outside the walls of the house. I feel locked in most of the time, mainly because I don't know how to open the doors, but I'm fine as long as I get out of the house once in a while.
The food has been pretty good. I've been eating some slightly questionable things (including a soup that is made with cow hooves, which is apparently somewhat common here), but so far all has been good. The tamales we ate as our first meal were fantastic. I love the soups and desserts. Here's an incomplete list of food and drink I have experienced: tomate de agua drink, lots of tea, tomato-cheese soup, spinach soup, lots of chicken prepared in various ways, lots of rice, lots of eggs (every morning), yucca bread and yucca french fries, yogurt in a cup, and many other culinary delights. They feed us a lot here. At Rancho Alegre, it was thre meals and two snacks. Lunch is huge-soup, then main part with rice, potatoes, and some kind of meat, and then dessert. I expected to lose weight while here, but that won't be likely if things continue going the way they are now. The first day with my family I didn't eat much just because I wasn't hungry. Most people don't eat dinner here unless it's for a dinner party. This means that people eat a snack much later in the day after a late (2:00-3:00) lunch. This is supposedly better for the digestion, especially at a high altitude. My mother told me that it was hurting her (not in a mean way, more of in a caring way) that I wasn't eating so I took a banana. The whole accepting and refusing food thing is going to be interesting.
Well, I'll probably get back on soon to write more and to fill in the gaps. I can't really remember everything because I've done so much, so I'll look back over stuff and update later. Ciao!
I adjusted pretty well to the altitude. After spending one night in Quito though, during which I slept very well and quite a lot, the group went to a hostel, Rancho Alegre, in San Antonio de Pichincha, which is known for being the city in the middle of the world. For tourists' sake, it's supposed to be on the equator, although it's off by about 8 seconds. But, I know I've crossed the real equator quite a few times because driving around the countryside takes you to more towns that are "on the equator" but really aren't, but the roads cross the equator quite a few times. The town we were in was pretty small and didn't really have much going for it, but people were nice. I was part of a smaller group that had to walk into a ferreteria (hardware store) and just talk to whoever was there about their business and so forth. The guy we were talking to was pretty friendly. We learned more about the city and what was going on. Apparently, the earthquake in Peru really frightened people into buying more tools and stuff to prepare for an earthquake here.
Orientation took about four days. The group seems to be getting along really well. The academic directors are also pretty nice. We talked about health (with great pictures of worms that people have grown in their digestive track-I can't wait to see mine!), safety, classes, and all of that kind of stuff. We had a very intensive introduction to salsa class that just reinforced my belief that I cannot dance. It was fun though and I hope to learn more, as well as Cambuche (sp?) and others. I learned how to play billiards correctly and also how to play mafia, which is fun with lots of people. We also watched an Ecuadorian movie, La Titan del Ring, which was pretty much the same as Nacho Libre, only in Spanish and slightly more depressing. I also walked right up to one of the mountains, just because I wanted to reach the Andes. The foothills probably start in the towns, but it was cool to just wander to the outskirts of San Antonio and start climbing a mountain. Also, one morning, I woke up at 4:00 to see the lunar eclipse and Mars, which was the closest it would have been to Earth for another 250 years, but I just missed it, by minutes, and could only see clouds.
I went to La Mitad del Mundo (the equator) with a pretty large group of people. It was pretty nice. The museum was definitely worth the $3.00 we paid. We even got a tour which really taught us a lot about the indigenous cultures here. However, it isn't the real equator, but just a wrong guess some Frenchman (I think) made many years before GPS came along to point to the real equator. Our last night at Rancho Alegre, we heard some Andean folk music, which was pretty neat. I bought a c.d. so if anyone wants to hear some, let me know. The next day, I went to a town, Calacali, for a project. Three others and I had to take a bus on our own to the town, walk around and talk to people there, and then find our way back to our hotel in Quito, all on our own. It was actually a pretty good time. We wandered around the fairly small town for several hours. It's known for being the home of the original monument of La Mitad del Mundo, but it also isn't on the equator but is very close. We talked to a guy for an hour and a half about his life, the town, and animals. He was really nice. His wife actually found us wandering around in the outskirts of town and invited us into their home. She left us with her husband who apparently just wanted to talk to us about how he used to be a guide in the jungle, be a farmer in the fields, own a hostel, and now own a salon. He also taught us all these words for different animals that I really don't remember. He had a daughter living with him and she had three kids and they were all really cute. They were fascinated by us and hung around, though when we tried talking to one girl, she kept saying "No entiendo" because our spanish must have been different than what she was used to. I can't help but notice the sensation that I cause pretty much wherever I go. I think it's going to take a while to get used to. Overall it was an interesting visit. Among other attributes, the town also has roosters tied up to trees in one of its public squares and people were cutting up a very recently alive pig right on the sidewalk where we were headed; we took a detour.
Back in Quito, I walked around the Mariscal (touristy part) where I ate a croissant with Nutella. Then I ventured into the colonial section with a group. Taking the bus is really easy and it only costs about a quarter to go to wherever you want, one way. The buses are kind of sketchy though-some are really dirty while others have televisions; none really follow driving rules. Old Town was swarming with people. We made it to a plaza and saw a monument and the presidential palace. We took a tour of a cathedral off the Plaza Grande which was nice, and also included a guided tour, and only cost $1.00. It was quite an extensive tour: we saw a tomb of an important figure (whose name I forgot, oops), some catacombs from above, a library, altars, clothing, lots of paintings, and much more. The tour took so long that we soon had to go back to the hotel for a group meeting. I want to explore some more when I'm back in Quito. A few observations from just walking around Quito (as well as San Antonio) is that there are stray dogs everywhere. Most of them are pretty mangy and likely have fleas, but I want to save them all. That won't happen, but I see them literally everywhere, even in my gated community. Also, lots of litter and closed stores. I guess the economy here isn't quite as good as it used to be-perhaps because of dollarization.
Right now, I am in los Chillos, a valley surrounded by the Andes. It's really nice and quiet where I am, but the place where the language school is is kind of noisy and polluted. I'm living in Sangolqui, the main city in Valle de los Chillos. It has a huge mall and a Mega-Maxi (superstore like Wal-Mart). I've travelled around here a lot and I have gone into Quito a few times with my host family, which is really a great family. I am living with a mom and a sister, and there's a dad who stops by all the time though the parents are "divorced" (don't really know what that means). I have been hanging out with my host sister and her boyfriend a lot. We played soccer, during which I scored three goals on Xavier who previously believed that women could not play soccer (I don't know where these skills are coming from) and we met these three kids who live in a huge house but are really poor. Their parents only work in the house and the kids kind of just hang out in the neighborhood during the day. They had two puppies, which they were treating pretty badly. I don't really know yet what to make of the situation. The next day was my host sister's 21st birthday, which was kind of awkward becuase I met more people: her dad, grandma, and cousin. But we didn't do much because she just had her wisdom teeth out and is allergic to most pain relievers so she was in a lot of pain. On Monday night, we drove into Quito to watch Disturbia, which was interesting. The boyfriend, Xavier, drives very, very fast and slightly carelessly, which was a little scary but kind of exciting. At least I was wearing my seatbelt, which a lot of people around here don't do. I also went with my family to visit extended family members (grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws) on Sunday and eat a big meal with them. It was pretty nice. We also watch a lot of the t.v., mostly from the smaller t.v. in the master bedroom while the whole family sits on the bed. It's fun watching t.v. in spanish because it's a challenge to figure out what's going on. I especially love telenovelas and look forwardto watching lots. There are a lot of American shows and movies on, though they are dubbed or have subtitles in Spanish. I watched Mary Poppins, Bruce Almighty, and a show about conspiracies about 9-11. Sometimes I'll hear music in english and feel right at home. We have also gone to San Luis, this huge mall. It has some stores that I recognize but lots that I don't. Everything is pretty much the same though. Clothing is pretty expensive, especially since many people in this nation live in poverty.
The house I'm living in is quite nice; it might even be bigger than my house at home. There is a bottom floor with a maid's quarters (yes, there is a maid, but she doesn't live here) and an entertainment room with a HUGE t.v., a bar, a game table, and a bathroom. Going up the stairs from there is the kitchen and dining room. There is also a room with a jacuzzi and another shower, but it only opens up from the backyard. I don't really understand this, but it's pretty nice. Up some more stairs is the study, a sitting room, another sitting room, and another bathroom. Then the next floor has my room and my sister's room as well as a full bathroom and a balcony. Then more stairs lead to the master bedroom with a large closet and full bathroom and another balcony. The tv in the master bedroom is as big as my tv at home. Then up more stairs to another balcony. All this in a very protected house with wired fence on top of an already large fence, as well as two garage doors and front fence that is locked at all times. There are fences around everyone's homes here and people really take their security really seriously, even though we are already in a gated community with guards and another fence. Some people even just put broken glass and rusty nails on top of their fences to keep intruders at bay. There is also a garden in the backyard, as well as lots of bird cages. My host mother likes to garden and she has aguacate (avacado) trees, lemon trees, and mandarin orange trees, as well as another fruit tree that I can't remember. Also, there are some really pretty tropical flowers. She told me it rains a lot here, but so far no rain. There are also some vegetables growing, like lettuce, carrots, and radishes (I think). The birds she has a tropical birds like parrots, cockatos, and others. They make quite a racket in the morning. My room faces the backyard as well as the forest and the soccer field outside the walls of the house. I feel locked in most of the time, mainly because I don't know how to open the doors, but I'm fine as long as I get out of the house once in a while.
The food has been pretty good. I've been eating some slightly questionable things (including a soup that is made with cow hooves, which is apparently somewhat common here), but so far all has been good. The tamales we ate as our first meal were fantastic. I love the soups and desserts. Here's an incomplete list of food and drink I have experienced: tomate de agua drink, lots of tea, tomato-cheese soup, spinach soup, lots of chicken prepared in various ways, lots of rice, lots of eggs (every morning), yucca bread and yucca french fries, yogurt in a cup, and many other culinary delights. They feed us a lot here. At Rancho Alegre, it was thre meals and two snacks. Lunch is huge-soup, then main part with rice, potatoes, and some kind of meat, and then dessert. I expected to lose weight while here, but that won't be likely if things continue going the way they are now. The first day with my family I didn't eat much just because I wasn't hungry. Most people don't eat dinner here unless it's for a dinner party. This means that people eat a snack much later in the day after a late (2:00-3:00) lunch. This is supposedly better for the digestion, especially at a high altitude. My mother told me that it was hurting her (not in a mean way, more of in a caring way) that I wasn't eating so I took a banana. The whole accepting and refusing food thing is going to be interesting.
Well, I'll probably get back on soon to write more and to fill in the gaps. I can't really remember everything because I've done so much, so I'll look back over stuff and update later. Ciao!
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